Following three consecutive chart-toppers, British country music star Tommy Atkins is gearing up for the release of his first EP: Kiss Me, Cowboy.

2020 has been a breakout year. From award wins (Male Artist of the Year, CMS Listener’s Choice) and nominations (Positive Role Model Award – LGBT, National Diversity Awards 2020; Best Song, Silverball Country Awards) to making history at country radio with a hit that features openly gay lyrics, Atkins is now representing the U.K. and the LGBTQ+ community in country music on an international level.

“I am so proud of these songs and the world-class musicians that have brought them to life in the studio,” Atkins explained. “I hope everyone can find something of themselves in these stories of life and love and the loss of both.”

This is an absolutely beautiful collection of songs.  Atkins holds writing credits on three, and two of those are solo writes. Three are previously released singles, including the debut hit Wild In The Wind and a critically acclaimed cover of Wham!’s Freedom.

• The title track opens the EP. It’s a hard hitter, navigating young love and homophobia against a backdrop of a steel guitar ballad.
• An unexpected cover of Freedom comes next. I’ll admit, when I first heard that Atkins had recorded a country cover of a Wham! song, I was sceptical – but when you hear it, you’ll get it.  It was a highlight on our covers 2.0 playlist and it’s something I just can’t get enough of. Despite not writing it himself, Tommy Atkins has completely rewritten the song.
• We get our dancing shoes on with Cinderella’s Had A Drink.  This is unabashed fun – it’s traditional country with masterful instrumentation and a delightfully British twist in the lyrics.
• Wild In The Wind closes the EP.  It’s an emotional track; it mourns the loss of a friend whilst simultaneously celebrating their impact on your life.

This EP provides a cohesive soundscape with openly-gay themes, emotional stories and whole lot of heart.  The tracks were recorded in Nashville by producer Dr Ford and mastered by GRAMMY-nominated engineer, Pete Lyman, for Infrasonic Sound (Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile). The EP features 2020 GRAMMY winner, Michael Cleveland, on fiddle; legendary steel and dobro player, Smith Curry (Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift), Chris Condon on guitars (Billy Ray Cyrus) and Anna Pearson on harmonies.

Kiss Me, Cowboy – The EP arrives Thursday 24^th September on all major platforms. You can listen to Tommy’s music, visit his website, or follow him on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Every Woman Gardens is the lead single from Sunshine and Moss, the latest album from Screaming Orphans.  The genre-breaking, chart-topping band is comprised of Irish sisters, and the album once again shows off their unique, multi-faceted sound, heavily inspired by traditional Irish folk music.

This is not at all what I expected. Every Woman Gardens opens with a gentle, uplifting acoustic guitar. It’s followed by soothing vocals, and then the harmonies kick in. It’s enough to make you swoon. The harmonies are rich and layered, perfectly placed and the plucked strings in the background of the track give the song a delicious air of whimsy. This is a celebration of women in the most unique, delicate way.

The sisters recorded Sunshine And Moss in their childhood home in Bundoran, County Donegal, Ireland, during lockdown.  It was engineered, mixed and mastered by PJ Cardinal at his home in New York. Sunshine represents the positive things that can come out of dark (Moss) times. The album is described as a ‘real home project’ and it includes songs they grew up listening to, such as My Grandfather’s Clock, Eileen Oge, and Mary From Dungloe.

SUNSHINE AND MOSS was released on 28th August 2020. You can stream it here. You can follow Screaming Orphans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Liam Coleman has announced the release of Upside on 18th September 2020.  Upside is the first of four singles that comprise Coleman’s Nashville-recorded second EP.

As soon as Upside opens with a crisp, reverb-heavy guitar, I know Liam Coleman is going to be one to watch.  When the vocal kicks in, it’s hard to believe he’s only seventeen. His voice and lyrical delivery are mature and confident, and his writing even more so. The production of this track is phenomenal – recorded with Ken Royster at Direct Image Studio in Nashville (responsible for Luke Combs’ Hurricane), everything about this debut single is slick and polished with the self-assurance of an experienced, worldly performer.

UPSIDE, co-written with Seattle-based Abigail Neilson, is out on 18th September and is available for pre-save here.  You can follow Liam on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Canadian singer-songwriter Elora Taylor is back with another hit following a moving tribute to her late mother earlier in the year.

Released at the end of August, What I’d Do is pop-infused and upbeat, produced with layered harmonies and gorgeous, intricate guitar tracks.  Taylor’s delicate, beautifully-articulated vocal style lends itself well to the bright production. It’s bold but airy, striking a seemingly impossible balance that firmly entrenches Elora Taylor as one of the most exciting songwriters in the music scene. Of the track, Taylor notes it was recorded in her home studio during quarantine, and that it’s the perfect song for right now – ‘being there’ for someone is something we could all use a little more of.

Elora Taylor is a country music singer/songwriter from Toronto ON. She formed the all-girl rock band Tallulah Darling after an injury ended her competitive figure skating career. After playing a number of notable venues and festivals in Toronto and showcasing for Sony Records in NYC, the band split and Taylor focused a country music solo career. What I’d Do was recorded at home during a period of quarantine, and released in August 2020.

Listen to WHAT I’D DO on Spotify. You can follow Elora on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, or visit her website.

UK-based singer-songwriter Laura Beckwith has announced the release of her debut country single on 25th September.  Drawn to music from a young age, she learned piano after starting theatre school and has been a mainstay of the live music scene at venues across London, Essex and Hampshire.

Whilst Laura’s first single exhibited a modern pop production, Halfway is very much a country song.  With delicate, angelic vocals and natural flair for storytelling, Halfway has already been picked up by UK country radio and looks set to catapult Beckwith to country stardom.

“Halfway came after an extremely heated argument that went on for hours. All I wanted was for it to be resolved and somehow forget that it ever happened. Sometimes compromises have to be made in order for you to move on.”

The production on Halfway is slick and polished to perfection. This is a soundscape worthy of chart-topping success.

HALFWAY is released on 25th September 2020. Pre-order via the iTunes Store & pre-save on Spotify here. You can follow Laura on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.